The application of small group interaction and decision making assessment methods has demonstrated many of the interpersonal preferences, understandings, and attitudes of the Supreme Court. Six terms of the Supreme Court, from October 1969 through October 1974 were chosen for evaluation. Only those cases in which the formal opinion of the Court…

The way a department is governed, and the relationships enjoyed by its members, provide at least part of the ground for the other activities that take place there. Discussions with members of the Political Science department reveal several recurring themes, including democratic governance, the absence of power groups, respect for differing…

A field experiment was used to investigate the effects, if any, of changing group size and racial composition on the attitudes, behaviors, and effectiveness of black and white leaders. Subjects were 288 naval recruits, half black and half white, performing two tasks which were watched by a pair of racially mixed observers through a one-way mirror.…

The first section of the third grade unit of the Focus on Inner City Social Studies (FICSS) series (see SO 008 271) focuses attention on power in the city government. The unit is placed at the beginning of the year so that by November the students can more fully understand and draw upon the issues relevant to their local government. The content…

This study investigated congruence in ego stage and group relevant aspects of teachers' and learners' personalities, and between their preferences for and perceptions of group work and emotionality behaviors, as related to learners' learning achievement and to teacher and student satisfaction with learning group membership. Subjects (130 learners…

This book includes 37 selected articles and extensive editorial comments on the laboratory approach to sensitivity training. The book focuses on the following aspects of T-Groups: descriptions of and reactions to T-Groups; the processes and outcomes of T-Groups; leadership and member roles; goals, methods, and results; applications in the home,…

To determine whether the use of 8mm sound film recordings facilitated the process of self-inquiry and increased self-perception, this study compared results of two sections of a methods course in the teaching of secondary school English in which an experimental section developed and analyzed 5-minute sound film recordings. Each experimental…

This book provides a sequence of 10 skill-building games and follow-up activities (beginning with "Getting Acquainted" and ending with "Arriving at a Consensus") designed to give students necessary practice in proper discussion techniques. Fifteen remedial exercises to treat such weaknesses as extreme aggressiveness or a habit of straying from the…

The basis for developing vital, team-like characteristics in contemporary pluralistic America lies in the understanding and building of new interpersonal norms and skills. The new norms accept human collaboration and human diversity as basic facts for problemsolving, survival, and growth. These norms support the intent that interpersonal and…

This unit on discussion skills was designed for junior high school students who have elementary discussion skills. The two primary student objectives are: (1) to be able to express themselves openly, but without hurting the feelings of other people; and (2) to improve their discussion skills. The 12 lessons in the unit focus on freedom of…

This study determined the effects of assigning students from speech classes to one of 14 positive sociometrically determined groups, 14 negative sociometrically determined groups, or 14 randomly determined groups upon individuals' satisfaction with the group and the time needed to solve a specific test problem. All significant differences among…

It was hypothesized that increases in the amount and specificity of information furnished to a discussion group would facilitate group decision making and improve other aspects of group and individual performance. Procedures in testing these assumptions included varying the amounts of statistics, examples, testimony, and augmented information…

Prevailing criticism of communication research in and out of university speech departments is justified and means that the quality of research must be improved. The last three years of speech communication research has not been noteworthy, dramatic, or significant. An initial remedial step might be the development of good, relevant, and sound…

Frequently speakers confront hostile groups and audiences with opposite points of view. Public communicators faced with this dilemma can choose not to address the group or, in speaking, can avoid points of contention, but a third more subtle alternative used is deliberate ambiguity or vagueness, a rhetorical strategy known as equivocation. But do…

The method most organizations use in processing information to carry on their management goals are inadequate for the modern world. A convergence of theoretical and empirical work can create new ways of thinking about management. Four areas which can help to achieve better organizational procedures need concentrated study: new conceptual tools…